New Matter to Donate More Than $200k in 3D Printing Gear

3D Printing Technology company New Matter has announced that it will donate more than $200,000 through an Educate and Inspire Grant in a bid to bring affordable 3D printing to classrooms across America. New Matter will distribute 300 plug-and-play 3D printers to 100 schools by March 2016.

Steve Schell, co-founder and CEO of New Matter, says their 3D printing systems help teachers bring under one roof the disparate but intertwined disciplines of art, engineering, technology and science. The California-based tech company will donate its first 100 3D printing grants by March. Each grant will consist of 15 spools of filament, 15 additional build plate surfaces, and 3 MOD-t 3D printers, making it a complete starter kit for schools that wish to introduce students to the possibilities of STEM learning through 3D printing technology.

According to New Matter, Schell said MOD-t is an affordable and user-friendly 3D printing system ideal for the classroom:

“Many teachers who use 3D printers in their classrooms say they often run into a bottleneck from having too many student projects to print, but not enough printers to print them all. Because of the affordability of the MOD-t, it is now possible for schools to have multiple printers in their classroom to print more student work, faster.”

New Matter has a clear mission: to bring 3D printing to every home, school, and office, the company states. The company is closely working with educators and education experts to turn the New Matter printing ecosystem into an easy and intuitive printing solution for the classroom. Schell highlights:

“Since our launch, we have been eager and excited to launch meaningful education programs and partnerships to give students access to 3D printing at school,”

As 3Ders.org reports, the MOD-t 3D printer is an entry-level, budget desktop 3D printer that’s ideal for consumers and the classroom alike, primarily in view of its user-friendliness and affordability. The 3D printing system calibrates automatically, reducing configuration time by administrators or educators to a minimum. It’s a printer that’s easy and quick to set up and can integrate with any size classroom or library without causing disruption due to noise or its size.

The MOD-t is not the only 3D printer created with educators in mind. As 3Ders.org points out, tech companies XYZPrinting, MakerBot, and QingDao Unique have created their own affordable education-tailored 3D printers.

New Matter ran a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to fund its first 2,000 3D printing systems. While the initial price was set at $249, the final retail price is just under $400. During its 2015 Series A seed funding, the company raised more than $6.5 million.